I'm really depressed :(

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hannahsahib

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Hi guys,

Sorry for posting again! I just feel so lost and confused now.

I woke up this morning and thought : "I don't want to be be a pharmacist". I never thought this before until today.
So, like what any intelligent person would do, I googled "I hate being a pharmacist" haha. And then I went to read about all these people who regret the career choice that they have made, complaining about the rude customers, about how they never get to apply their knowledge, that they never get breaks, ext.

At the end of the day, I know that my passion is not pharmacy. I only picked it because I LOVE pharmacology , and I am not a fan of lab work/research so I decided that pharmacy is for me.
I don't even believe in taking drugs to cure many of the illnesses that people are experiencing today. I am a strong believer in lifestyle changes (obviously not everything is related to lifestyle changes, but since that the #1 killer in America is heart disease, which is preventable, then I am assuming that I am going to be filling out alot of BP-lowering drugs, ext...)
I was even diagnosed with something that was "incurable" and my doctors pushed all these pills at me, but I didn't take any. I made drastic lifestyle changes and completely reversed my 'disease'.

I want to talk with patients. I want to educate people about making lifestyle changes, since I am so passionate about that. I am completely in the wrong field aren't I? :(

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You may be overestimating the ease of getting patients to make lifestyle changes. Although I hear Chantix works well... :laugh:
 
You may be overestimating the ease of getting patients to make lifestyle changes. Although I hear Chantix works well... :laugh:

I'm pretty sure you would have to be a straight idiot if you don't change your lifestyle when you are on the verge of death. I am still in awe at those people who eat burgers and other greasy **** after they have had a heart attack/stroke...:confused:
 
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Most of those people are smokers. That's the #1 'lifestyle choice' that kills, although having been addicted myself for a time, it doesn't feel like a choice. I lied to my doctor about it, too, because I knew the spiel I'd get.

Start a national crusade to ban tobacco and history will record you as the greatest holistic healer of all time :)
 
Most of those people are smokers. That's the #1 'lifestyle choice' that kills, although having been addicted myself for a time, it doesn't feel like a choice. I lied to my doctor about it, too, because I knew the spiel I'd get.

Start a national crusade to ban tobacco and history will record you as the greatest holistic healer of all time :)

That's not really being a holistic 'healer'. That's more like common-sense prevention. And congrats on quitting :thumbup:
 
Right, but that's what I'm getting at - without a court order or a padded cell, it's so hard to effect a common sense lifestyle change on someone who wants a pill.

I volunteer at a clinic where easily 90% smoke and many have 'a cold' 365 days a year... :( Weight loss is similarly frustrating for everyone involved.

Anyway. Isn't it possible to become a pharmacist/nutritionist?
 
I agree with you, it's really hard to get people to change their habits, especially since everyone around you does the same thing. I remember once at work I brought a large bag of cucumbers as a snack and everyone was giving me strange looks/asking me if I was dieting... would have never got those looks/questions if I had brought a bag of chips. :)

I already have looked at almost every career path... and being a nutritionist just doesn't appeal to me. Mainly because it's not competitive; it's not fun for me to do something that doesn't require much work. Pretty sure the GPA is like 3.0 minimum. Big Whoop. I just busted my ass off for the last 1.5 semesters to keep my GPA above 3.9 for nothing.

Meh, maybe I will just suck it up and keep pursuing pharm.
 
I feel like I saw an identical post from someone else a few days ago.

I think you could find a job in the field of pharmacy to suit your interests. During my ambulatory care rotation (physician office), the pharmacists always suggested lifestyle modification before ordering drugs. You should be OK with drugs though if the patients fail the initial lifestyle modifications. Only problem is that that's a small part of pharmacy and not too many jobs there, but they exist and are slowly expanding.
 
Yeah, I agree. So... uhh, nobody has anything positive to add about pharm? :(
 
Yeah, I agree. So... uhh, nobody has anything positive to add about pharm? :(

Well, you're asking a forum full of Pre-pharm and pharm students who have had varying experience with the actual field. While I do believe that you will get valuable input from those on this forum, I also highly recommend spending time with pharmacists in the various industries you are interested in. If at the end of the conversations with them, you can't see yourself doing their job, then maybe it isn't the right career for you.

For what it's worth, I've done my research, and I'm very excited to start the professional years this coming fall.
 
It sounds like you need to go shadow or get a pharm tech job so you can figure out what it's like. No one is going to be able to tell you if pharmacy is for you, and you won't be able to tell for sure until you try it. Anyone who's ever worked in a retail environment (pharmacy or no) has a war story - retail can really turn you off, and it's certainly not for everyone.

The silver lining is that the job market is not the same everywhere. Some places, by all reports, are saturated - but some are not.

Another factor contributing to the severe disappointment is that there was an artificial shortage in the early 2000s, so many people jumped into the field expecting top dollar & crazy sign on bonuses. I have the sneaking suspicion that what I call "competitive," many of these same people would call "saturated."
 
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I was in the same boat as you are. I volunteered in the a pharmacy dept at a local hospital and worked in retail for a while. It def wasn't for me. Think about what makes you happy and what you want to accomplish in life and go rom there.

I've since then switched to premed and have been loving it ever since. I switched this past summer and will be applying to med schools this upcoming summer.
 
Hi guys,


At the end of the day, I know that my passion is not pharmacy. I only picked it because I LOVE pharmacology , and I am not a fan of lab work/research so I decided that pharmacy is for me.

I already have looked at almost every career path... and being a nutritionist just doesn't appeal to me. Mainly because it's not competitive; it's not fun for me to do something that doesn't require much work. Pretty sure the GPA is like 3.0 minimum. Big Whoop. I just busted my ass off for the last 1.5 semesters to keep my GPA above 3.9 for nothing.

Meh, maybe I will just suck it up and keep pursuing pharm.

There are people out there who really want to get in pharmacy school but their grades just barely make it to be able to apply. Please spare your seat to them. Thank you
 
Thanks for your reply everyone :) I'm still doing research about it.

CareDD, I highly doubt that every single person who is in pharmacy school *truly* had a passion for that work. I know 6 people in pharm school right now, and ALL of them are using it as a first degree to get into medicine/ dent after...I myself would never do something like that though.
 
Thanks for your reply everyone :) I'm still doing research about it.

CareDD, I highly doubt that every single person who is in pharmacy school *truly* had a passion for that work. I know 6 people in pharm school right now, and ALL of them are using it as a first degree to get into medicine/ dent after...I myself would never do something like that though.

Wow All of them? All 6 of them finished their Bachelor degrees, then try to finish another 4 yrs of pharmacy school just to get into medicine or dental? I am speechless. but why don't they just go straight to med or dental after 4 yrs of undergrad? Rather than 4 yrs of pharm school, they can spend the entire year in AmericaCorp or 2 years in Peacecorps, once they are done, I am pretty sure they can convince the admission committee how much they wanna become physicians. :love:
 
haha!
Well all those 6 people got into pharmacy without completing their BSc (so they did 2 or 3 years of undergrad). I guess they are using their pharm degree as a backup in case things don't work out with medicine/dent; because let's face it, you can't do anything with a BSc ...
 
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Don't give up.
Having worked retail for over 6 years, with some dabling in long term care, I can tell you that yes, tough patient situations are trying.
For the past year and a half, I've worked at one of the busiest retail pharmacies in the entire country, filling well over 1000 scripts a day. The stress is tough, but not unreasonable, and there are many more patients who make pharmacy rewarding than there are otherwise.

But there are many other options for you than just retail. Longterm care is Pharmacy, minus patient interaction.
You can work in a hospital, or any of a number of specialty pharmacies. There is always the delicious and growing field of managed care pharmacies. You can always pursue a PharmD/Ph.D. and go into clinical research, or become an instructor.

Pharmacy is way more diverse than just retail establishments, so don't fret. Just because a bunch of grumps can't deal with a nasty patient or two and whine about it online, don't let that deterr you from such a rewarding feild!
 
Wow, I only THOUGHT we were negative around here. That is...disturbing.

Thats why I laugh at all of you on here for calling me negative. Its not negative its honest. Look at the above link. It was started over a year ago and has Pharmacists posting from all over the United States, Canada and the UK. Pharmacy is in a tough spot right now.
 
Hi guys,

Sorry for posting again! I just feel so lost and confused now.

I woke up this morning and thought : "I don't want to be be a pharmacist". I never thought this before until today.
So, like what any intelligent person would do, I googled "I hate being a pharmacist" haha. And then I went to read about all these people who regret the career choice that they have made, complaining about the rude customers, about how they never get to apply their knowledge, that they never get breaks, ext.

At the end of the day, I know that my passion is not pharmacy. I only picked it because I LOVE pharmacology , and I am not a fan of lab work/research so I decided that pharmacy is for me.
I don't even believe in taking drugs to cure many of the illnesses that people are experiencing today. I am a strong believer in lifestyle changes (obviously not everything is related to lifestyle changes, but since that the #1 killer in America is heart disease, which is preventable, then I am assuming that I am going to be filling out alot of BP-lowering drugs, ext...)
I was even diagnosed with something that was "incurable" and my doctors pushed all these pills at me, but I didn't take any. I made drastic lifestyle changes and completely reversed my 'disease'.

I want to talk with patients. I want to educate people about making lifestyle changes, since I am so passionate about that. I am completely in the wrong field aren't I? :(

Not entirely. More and more pharmacists are being trained to work directly with patients on lifestyle changes and how they can improve their health conditions. Of course, medications that are necessary for their well-being and improvement are handled by the pharmacist, however pharmacists are able to make an impact in patients' lives. It is said that the second most healthcare trusted professionals are pharmacists (after nurses).

Personally, I love how medications help save lives. Certain diseases can't be cured by lifestyle changes, as someone has mentioned above, it's not equally easy for everyone make that lifestyle change.

I hope you find your field of passion, maybe not pharmacy, but hopefully something that you think is worthwhile.
 
Thank you guys!

aznhomieboi1689- I agree with you. I am a firm believer that people should be put on drugs as in the case of emergencies, but if their condition can be reversed through diet and lifestyle changes (which I believe that many are, including a few cancers that have not metastasized yet) then I want the chance to inform them about this. But heck, I totally support many of the medications out there today. Just kind of get disgusted when someone knows that their ****ty diet is increasing their BP but they continue to stuff themselves with salt. But I guess its their life.

Drugs in my opinion should be the last resort (obviously not for all cases), not the first as what is happening in this age. My dad had high cholesterol, his doc never once mentioned diet, just prescribed him drugs. It really makes me question if they have the patient's best interest at heart ...


And I am all hyped up about pharm again! I talked to my pharmacist friend last night, and he convinced me that that thread doesn’t reflect all pharmacists. It’s kinda like the ratemyproff thing I guess, only the REALLY dissatisfied or the REALLY happy post their comments, its not accurate of the true nature of the field.
That being said, I will definitely not be going into retail pharm!
 
Are you currently shadowing or volunteering in a pharmacy related area? If not, I highly recommend it. I can understand where your arguement comes from with the diet thing, but sometimes big mac, in-n-out burger (yes, I know what is in those fast food) and other food with high salt are so delicious that I cannot resist them =P

g2g grab me an in-n-out burger now =]
 
Are you currently shadowing or volunteering in a pharmacy related area? If not, I highly recommend it. I can understand where your arguement comes from with the diet thing, but sometimes big mac, in-n-out burger (yes, I know what is in those fast food) and other food with high salt are so delicious that I cannot resist them =P

g2g grab me an in-n-out burger now =]

Haha, Don't worry, I am not apart of food-police! I respect that everyone makes different food choices, and I understand that many people make them because they are informed or simply cause they just want something YUMMY. I have to say though, you get new tatse buds every 10 days, so you can reach a point where you don't crave those bad foods anymore. I haven't eaten junk food in over 3 years now, and now I have reached a point where chocolate doesn't look like food. :)

Anyways, BACK to the topic.
Here are the two vids that really perked me up today; hospital pharmacy actually seems like a very interesting profession. :thumbup::thumbup::thumbup::thumbup::thumbup: But I am going to shadow my firend's mom (who is a pharm) sometime this summer too.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vfvF79XOpi4

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FxqVFchQpco
 
By reading your posts, I have a feeling that you want to become a pharmacist because of fame. I could be totally wrong. ^_^ If you'r going to pharmacy because you are thinking people will go "Wow" or regard highly of you, then u wont ever be happy.

There is a reason why there is a Halloween costume for a doctor or police man, but not a pharmacist. ^_^
 
Not at all! If I wanted fame, I would have gone into medicine. Or law. I don't believe that pharmacists get 'fame' at all, most people actually think that they are no better than cashiers who just give you medicine, and sit around behind a counter al day counting pills. We on this forum know that that isn't true, but many people think it is.
 
Not at all! If I wanted fame, I would have gone into medicine. Or law. I don't believe that pharmacists get 'fame' at all, most people actually think that they are no better than cashiers who just give you medicine, and sit around behind a counter al day counting pills. We on this forum know that that isn't true, but many people think it is.

Reading your philosophies... sounds like you would make a good Chiropractor. Especially if you dont believe in medications and more of lifestyle changes. Most DCs i know are more about nutrition and lifestyle changes, than they are adjustments. Also, no fame for Chiros either. But then again... no real science based evidence with chiropractics.

Have you considered Physical Therapy? Life style changes in combination with PT, they also use a lot of other new/experimental modalities. PT schools are also pretty competitive, so you won't feel like your undergrad efforts will go to waste.

Of course... i am ultimately a fan of the DDS being the best profession of them all.

Best of luck in your decisions!!
 
Hey I just want to let you know . This is what I have been feeling for sometime. and I want to thank the above post for the ambulatory clinic. So many posts and threads have been saying dont pursue pharmacy purse MD/DO or DDs. and that has scared me because of the influx of pharmacy schools. I am a senior and am having second thoughts
 
I was in the same boat as you are. I volunteered in the a pharmacy dept at a local hospital and worked in retail for a while. It def wasn't for me. Think about what makes you happy and what you want to accomplish in life and go rom there.

I've since then switched to premed and have been loving it ever since. I switched this past summer and will be applying to med schools this upcoming summer.

IF you dont mind me asking, not that it matters are you a male or female. I have been thinking about medical school and what year are you? Did you take your mcat and how long did it take you to study for it
 
If you don't have a friend who knows what being in a pharmacy is all about, you need to make one.

Online stuff tends to attract polarized posters... in this case, those that really hate their jobs, or feel like the competition is so extreme they need to scare off incoming students. There are some happy posters, but being happy rarely inspires someone to run out & post about it, yeah?

Knowing someone who can give you a more balanced view of how things are in the practice type and area you are likely to end up will be invaluable.

Just fyi... I took one of these such people out to dinner on Friday. Let's just say - I now understand more of the whole picture, and I'm no longer doubting. Pharmacists' experiences are not entirely universal, and what you get online is often not the whole story / is one-sided.

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If you don't have a friend who knows what being in a pharmacy is all about, you need to make one.

Online stuff tends to attract polarized posters... in this case, those that really hate their jobs, or feel like the competition is so extreme they need to scare off incoming students. There are some happy posters, but being happy rarely inspires someone to run out & post about it, yeah?

Knowing someone who can give you a more balanced view of how things are in the practice type and area you are likely to end up will be invaluable.

Just fyi... I took one of these such people out to dinner on Friday. Let's just say - I now understand more of the whole picture, and I'm no longer doubting. Pharmacists' experiences are not entirely universal, and what you get online is often not the whole story / is one-sided.

You are totally right; the reason why I changed my mind was because I talked to my friend who is in pharmacy and he basically told me those things on that forum aren't necessarily true. I swear google and excessive searching drives me crazy... best just ask people in the real world
 
Just a tip: You can email nearby Pharm School dean or Professor (w/ PharmD) or even your local pharmacist to ask them out for a chat about the profession.
 
I'm in my 18 th year as a pharmacist and all of my friends are laid off or hate their jobs because they feel like they are about to be laid off. All the older retail pharmacist are being replaced and i know they will come for me sometime as my company has forced me to fire some old pharmacist for stupid reasons. I have no debt and a paid off house. My wife has a great job so I'm wondering what else is out there. I know pharmacy is a dead end now so I don't want to do that. Any advise. I don't need a career just maybe a 40k job. What else can you do with this degree.
 
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